3 Worst Foods to Eat After Surgery from a Dietitian

If you have a surgical procedure coming up, you have probably been wondering what you should or shouldn’t be eating after your procedure. Many of the typical foods that are recommended are actually not the best for you and lack important nutrients.

In today’s article, let’s take a look at the three worst foods that you should not eat after any surgery and why with a plastic surgery dietitian. I will also include some examples of foods you should eat after surgery instead.

Do you have a plastic surgery procedure coming up? If so, my article on how to prepare for plastic surgery! It has a ton of tangible tips that you won't want to miss.

Canned soup unfortunately can be loaded with lots of sodium and saturated fats, and not enough protein and fiber. If you are wanting to heal your body from your surgery, most canned soups are not the best option to choose.

Canned soups also aren’t packed with nutrients like vitamins and minerals which can help your body heal after surgeries.

It is important to choose foods that are rich in protein, fiber, vitamins, and minerals after your surgery to give your body the best chance at healing, and unfortunately, most canned soups don’t deliver those nutrients to your body.

You’ve probably heard that Jello is recommended to eat after your surgeries, but that is not true. Sure Jellos are easy to digest, but they have little nutrition that will help your body heal from the stress it went under during surgery.

Jello is mostly water, pectin, and sugar. There’s no protein or other vitamins and minerals so there’s nothing in Jello that will really build your body back up to optimal health after your surgery. There are so many more nutritious options that you can choose from!

Just like the other two foods I listed, saltines provide no real nutritional value to your body to help you heal after your surgery. Saltines are pretty much just crackers that have lost their good nutrients like fiber.

Take my word for it… there are plenty of better options to choose from post-surgery.

Overall, I typically let my surgery clients know that…

• These three foods are all empty foods that provide very little nutrition.
• Your body is begging for nourishment after surgery- feed it!
• There are healthier options after surgery that will not upset your body and still give it some macronutrients (carbs, fats, and protein) and micronutrients (vitamins and minerals) needed to heal.

Bone broth is delicious and nutritious. They are loaded with protein and other vitamins and minerals that will really help your body heal after any surgery.

You can either sip on bone broth by itself and still get almost 10 grams of protein, or you can pair it with noodles, protein, and veggies to give yourself extra nutrients to help you recover better.

You can purchase unsalted bone broth from:

• Places like Target, Walmart, Kroger
• Health food stores
• Or you can make your own recipe! This is a homemade recipe that I recommended to give you the most bang for your buck.

It can be difficult to eat fruits and vegetables raw or even cooked after your surgery, but it is still important that you are consuming them because they are full of vitamins and minerals like Zinc, Vitamin C, Vitamin A, and many many more nutrients.

An easier way to consume and digest fruits and vegetables is in squeezable food pouches.

A brand that I like to recommend is Sprout Organics. They have a variety of different fruit and veggie blends that will help you get the nutrients you need post-surgery.

Crackers are a great snack for after surgery that can be easy to consume and digest, but there are better options than saltines, trust me!

Belvita crackers are a great option after your surgery because they have:

• 19 grams of whole grains
• 2 grams of fiber
• 4 grams of protein per serving

These types of crackers will keep you nourished after your surgery and help you stay on the path toward better healing.

• Saltines, jello, and canned soup are not ideal for after surgery
• There are many better food options to choose from that are packed with nutrients
• Protein, fiber, vitamins, and minerals can help your body heal after any surgery
• Include foods such as bone broth, squeezable food pouches and Belvita Crackers.

If you need help coming up with a list of foods or recipes that will help you recover better after any surgery, reach out to me and let’s connected! For more information on how to recover from surgery, check out our website here. 

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